Beverage-dispensing apparatus



June 26, 1923.

J. MOHN BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 7, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet1 June 26, 1923. 'EAEULZUQ J. MOHN BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS FiledNov. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 26 1923.

iinirau sra'rss inflame Parana" orrice.

JOHN MOHN, OF DETROIT. MICHIGAN.

BEVERAGE-DISPENSING APPARATUS.'

Application filed November 7, 1921. Serial No. 513,294.

to the public.

It has for its object the provision of means whereby the receptacle inwhich the liquid is displayed may be kept at substantially a constantlevel, even though considerable quantities are withdrawn.

A further object of the invention vide means whereby the liquid maybe'c'ooled" immediately adjacent to the point of delivery.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in-

which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of theinvention:

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the upper portion of the displayapparatus shown in Fig. 1, and i Fig. 3 is a vertical section throughthe upper portion of the lower storage tank shown in Fig. 1. 7 n

It has become common practice to display certain beverages, such aslemonade and especially orangeade and other colored drinksin variousstyles of glass containers set upon the counter. There is a distinctadvertising value in the sight of the drink. but in the ordinary form ofcontainer. as the beverage is withdrawn. the container is no longerfilled with liquid and there is an'inevitable suggestion of staleness.the fact that the container is no longer filled conveying the suggestionthat the beverage has been prepared for a considerable time and that itis therefore'no longer fresh.

In the present device, an attractive transparent container is set uponthe counter and connected by a delivery pipe with a main supply orstorage tank which may be beneath the counter or in the basement.

['pon the upper portion of the display receptacle is mounted a coolingtank in which ice is placed in contact with a coil tank 4.

deliverypipe 3 controls the flow of liquid from the tube 15' into thepipe 3 and this through which the liquid passes on its way to thedelivery faucet. An air pump is used to compress the air in the upperpart of the storage chamber and this compressed air causes the beverageto How from the storage tank through the supply pipe into the secondarysupply tank or display receptacle upon the counter.

\Yhenever beverage is-withdrawn from the delivery faucet, an equalquantity of the beverage is forced from thestorage tank into the displayreceptacle. In this manner, the liquid remains at a substantiallyconstant level, thus conveying the impression to the public that thereceptacle has just been: filled with a fresh liquid. So long as anybeverage remains in the storage tank. the display tank I, will be filledand the customers will not receive the suggestion that the beveragebeing dispensed is the dregs of a liquid prepared long before.

In Fig. 1. the-display container 1 rests upon the counter 2 and isconnected by the supply pipe 3 with a storage or main supply tank 1shown as beneath the counter.

The storage tank 4 is provided with a closure comprising a body 5 uponthe lower portion of which is mounted a rubber sleeve 1 6, the lower endof which rests upon a flange 7 and the upper end of which receives awasher 8 against which a handled nut 9 may be forced to expand therubber sleeve within the neck of the storage tank to form a tightclosure. Secured to one side of the body 5 is a filter chamber 10.adapted to receive cotton or similar fiber 11 adapted to act as a.filter for air introduced through the valve 12 by means of a compressionpump 13 or other suitable form of air pump. The'body 5 has a centralperforation 14 communicating with the filter chamber 10 and arrangedcentrally of the perforation 14: is a delivery tube 15 which extends tothe bottom of the A valve 16 at the lower end of the valve 16 will beclosed when it is-necessary to refill the storage tank or substituteanother therefor. In the absence of the valve 16, the tube 3 would actas a siphon to withdraw the li uid from the display tank 1.

Tpon the display or secondary supply tank 1 is mounted a head 17 in thebottom of which secured a threaded connection 18, having a flange 19 atits lower end to form an abutment for the lower end of a rubber sleeve20. -A washer 21 rests upon the upper end of the sleeve 20 and isengaged by a handled nut 22 engaging the threaded connection 18 andacting to compress the sleeve 20 to form a tight closure for the neck ofthe display tank 1. VVithin the head 17 is a passage 23 communicating atits outer end with the delivery pipe 3 and at its inner end wit-h apassage 24 formed within the threaded connection 18. g

Mounted within the upper end of thehead 17 is a refrigerator chamber 25Within which,

is mounted a spiral coil 26, one end of which is in communication with adelivery tube 27 which extends to the bottom of the display tank 1. Theother end of the coil is in com munication with an outlet passage 28 inthe head 17, the outer end of the passage 28 re ceiving the dispensingfaucet 29 controlled by the gas tight valve 30. The refrigerator chamber25 has a lid 31 and the lower end of the chamber has a drainage passage32 controlled by a petcock 33.

Ice will be placed in the refrigerator chamber 25 about the coil 26 sothat the -liquid immediately adjacent to the dispensing faucet 29 willbecold and the remaining liquid withdrawn from the display tank will passthrough a slender tube completely surrounded by an ice coldliquid, sothat by" the time it has reached the outlet,

it will ha-ve lost the greater part of its heat.

The dispensing faucet 29 has a valve 30 forming a gas tight closure andthe valve 12 also forms a gas tight closure. The sleeves 6 and 20 whencompressed within the necks of the respective containers also preventthe entrance of air or escape of gas.

After a receptacle containing a carbonated beverage is opened v-"and apart of the contents has been withdrawn, the remainder of the beverageis likely to' become flat unless the closure is kept absolutelytight'and unless a .suflicient pressure is maintained upon the liquid toprventthe escape of the carbon dioxide from solution. By the provisionof gas tight closures as in the present device, the liquid may be keptsparkling.- Other beverages prepared with fruit juices, as .for

example grape juice, which beverages are usually not carbonated, willdeteriorate if kept in a container to which air has access.

For this reason, large containers have hither to not been 1n common usefor grape JUICE.

By the use of my device which maintalns an airtight seal, grapejuice maybe kept without loss of quality for extended periods after the firstportion has been withdrawn, and the use of large containers is thereforepracticable.

By placing the refrigerator chamber immediately adjacent to thedispensing faucet,

a beverage is cooled down only as it is ready to be dispensed so thatthe minimum quan-' tity of refrigerant is required and further-. morethe temperature of the-beverage is lowered only' at the outlet end ofthe system instead of being first lowered and then raised as in someother forms ofapparatus, With some beverages, this alteration 7 oftemperatures should be avoided. i

It will be apparent that there is thus provided'a device posseming theparticular features of advantage before enumerated, but which obviouslyis susceptible of modification in its form, proportion, details ofconstruction andarrangement of parts Without departure fromitheprinciple involved sacrificing any of its advantages;

The invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modificationswithin the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing device for beverages, com-- prising a receptacle havinga transparent portion adapted to display a beverage contained therein,means for withdrawing beverage from the receptacle, including a dis-vpensing faucet, and means for automatically supplying additionalbeverage to the display receptacle so as to maintain the liquid thereinat a substantially uniform level, a refrigerator chamber andv a conduitleading from the receptacle through the refrigerator chamberto the"dispensingfaucet, whereby the temperature of the liquid is lowered onlyin that portion of the apparatus immediately adjacent to the point ofwithdrawal.

2. A dispensing apparatus for beverages comprising a main supply tank, asecondary supply tank in communication therewith, and

vwhereby the temperature of the beverage will be lowered only at a thedispensing faucet.

In testimony whereof- I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

point adjacent to 7 JOHN MOHN. Witnesses:

O'r'ro F. ,BARTHEL, x

' ANNA M. Donn.

